Time for reflection is about to become a precious luxury for the British & Irish Lions as they enter the most frenzied stage of their South African tour. On Monday they will name the side for their first midweek fixture of the trip against the Sharks on Wednesday and by Saturday week they will have contested five games in three cities inside a fortnight. Even those who impressed in the opening 56-14 win on Saturday against the Johannesburg-based Sigma Lions at Ellis Park understand how swiftly perceptions can change. With all those yet to start a game poised to do so, Warren Gatland has already made clear it is too early to start inking in his selection choices for the first Test against the Springboks on 24 July. No one can deny, though, that Josh Adams and Hamish Watson both made strong cases for Test squad inclusion on the left wing and at openside flanker respectively, while Courtney Lawes also put down a sizeable marker. Even at this distance it would seem the Lions will be keen to select a big No 6 to bolster their lineout options and it is far from impossible that Lawes and Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne could both start in the same side. More immediately Josh Navidi, Tom Curry and Sam Simmonds are poised to form a new-look back-row combination against the Sharks, with only the Irish centre Robbie Henshaw unavailable for selection because of a mild hamstring strain. Competition for places will only intensify over the next fortnight and another bright showing in Henshaw’s absence from Elliot Daly, a probable starter against the Sharks, could give the management a further potential option to consider. All concerned would dearly love to start as smoothly as the 26-year old Adams, who has come through a rollercoaster personal period to register five tries in his first two Lions appearances. As recently as February he was being withdrawn from Wales’s squad for breaching Covid regulations to attend a family gathering celebrating his fiancée Georgia’s pregnancy. Since then Wales have won the Six Nations title, he has made an instant Lions impression and the couple’s first child is due in less than a fortnight. The Cardiff wing has already dedicated his first four-try haul to his family – “Everything I’m doing out here, all the hard work I am putting in is for them back home” – having made the collective decision he should go away on tour regardless of the imminent new arrival. His only concern was that the excitement of the game on Saturday might cause the baby to arrive earlier than planned. “Georgia spoke to me after the game and I said, ‘Look, don’t jump around too much.’ We want to hold off a bit.” Assuming the still-soaring Covid-19 infection rates in Gauteng do not affect the tour’s schedule, he is also hopeful of scoring several more tries before the tour is over, having already been the top try-scorer at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. “A winger is like a striker in football – it’s my job to score tries. There are other aspects of the game that are vitally important but once you get on a run you work your hardest to keep it going. I didn’t have to do much for one or two of them but you’ve got to be in the right place at the right time I guess.” As for nailing down a wing berth in the Test team, though, he remains philosophical. “You can only do what you can when you get the chance. We always say prior to going out that it’s pointless doing it unless you’re going to enjoy the moment. It’s a special occasion for everybody, whether you’ve played for the Lions nine times and done three tours or it’s your first time. If you’re playing with a smile on your face you usually play some good stuff. We definitely did that at times.”